Stories Make Food Interesting

My mummy says, I was an extremely picky and stubborn eater as a kid. I’m told, my granny had to tell me a story to feed me. And only when she did that, I would eat involuntarily. Well,why did that happen?

My inquisitive self, made me in search for the reason. Made me think, about the trend of food channels coming up these days. People watch food shows, write down recipes, buy recipe books, but,mostly, end up going to a restaurant to have lunch or dinner on a day off. There is seldom any interest to cook. So, what urges them to do this drama? Is it these impressive dishes? Or is it the way the food is presented? Whatever it might be, I feel, the story the chefs often tell about the origin or the history and legacy of the dish plays an important part in making the viewer more inquisitive. It really is an important aspect.

My father cooks sometimes.When he does, he goes, “When I was a kid, I used to work in the farm, back in our native land.At that time my mom (my granny) used to cook a dish named ‘Besan’. It’s simply, Bengal gram flour slurry, whisked in some curried water with onions, ginger, garlic,green chillies, turmeric and coriander leaves and topped with some dried berries (sumac). But the twist is, she plucked some dried cotton plant stems and made a natural, organic whisk to stir the flour. The flavour of the whisk and that of the readily available wild berries, was just awesome!” While listening to this story, I always realise, that I have already gulped down almost all of the tasty Besan he has cooked for me.

It’s really hard to understand if it was the lovely food or, my hunger or, the nostalgic story that made me eat so much. I think food was always created for some reason and with some purpose.

Knowing about the dish and it’s legacy while having it will make it more interesting and give it an extra kick. That is precisely what I try to do to give proper justice to the food I create.

Now won’t u be interested in eating a sandwich,if you came to know, that, it was created for The 4thEarl of England – John Montagu (17th century) .He was a great gambler,who never wanted to leave his gambling table to have the lavish meal set up for him.So, he once said to his chef, that he wanted to eat all the courses served, but without spoiling his hands, and, in the shortest possible time. That’s when the chef took butter, sauce, cheese, meat and salad; sandwiching everything in one bread loaf and served it to The 4thEarl of England – John Montagu. And hence the world-famous sandwiches came into existence.